We’re going after sex offenders, says Palace

The Interagency Commission against Trafficking - which is composed of a number of government and law enforcement agencies – has been given the task of ridding the country of a pedophile ring which has victimized minors, Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma said on January 16. He emphasizes that the national government is determined to stop human trafficking in all its forms and manifestations through joined efforts by all the concerned government agencies and other countries. In a press briefing, Coloma said “Let me point out that even before the publication of [the pedophile ring report], the government has already committed itself to doing everything that needs to be done through interagency effort, through legislation and through other administrative measures to stop this trafficking.” He further stresses that human trafficking is a “matter of high priority” for the government, and has not been prompted by recent media reports. Interior Secretary Mar Roxas said the Philippine National Police (PNP) will be supporting the efforts of the United States, Australia and Britain against the pedophile rings. In 2013, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) arrested 27 year-old Aldren Aumento, after UK authorities had passed on intelligence on money he received from an arrested pedophile. “Aumento, a computer science graduate, told the Inquirer that he had been operating a child pornography website since 2009. He said he used children aged between 3 and 12 years old and paid them Php300 to Php350 (between $5-$8) per show. His (sic) overseas clients paid him $250.”

Full account

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/565051/were-going-after-sex-offenders-says-palace

Investigation busts online sex abuse ring targeting children in Philippines

Investigators have caught an international pedophile ring that broadcasted Filipino children being sexually abused for money, authorities have claimed. The operation began in 2012 and has since resulted in the arrest of 29 people, 11 of them Filipino nationals who facilitated the abuse, Britain’s National Crime Agency (NCA) released in a stated on January 15. According to NCA, some of the children’s own family members organized the abuse. The British agency also announced that fifteen children between the ages of 6 and 15 have been rescued. After uncovering “indecent videos” on the computer of a registered sex offender, British police had begun their investigation. This led to the information on the abuse of the children in the Philippines and on people in other countries involved in the pedophile ring. Seventeen arrests have been made in the UK, resulting in five convictions. “Being thousands of miles away makes no difference to their guilt. In my mind, they are just as responsible for the abuse of these children as the contact abusers overseas” said Andy Baker, deputy director of the NCA’s Child Exploitation and Online Protection command. Children’s rights advocates say that the private nature of technology has allowed for crimes to take place in a venue that is not yet as accessible to law enforcement, and thus making it difficult to track down cyber-crimes. In the Philippines, conditions such as widespread poverty, a booming sex-trade, literacy in English and technology and widespread internet access have contributed to the country falling prey to such abuse.

Full account available at

http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/16/world/europe/britain-philippines-child-sex-abuse/

Human Trafficking Predicted to Pick Up 6 Months After Typhoon Haiyan

“The risk of human trafficking is at its height directly after disaster, but the six to 18 months after a disaster is when lots of trafficking occurs, as the media spotlight is no longer on these situations,” says Jill Marie Gershutz-Bell, senior legislative specialist at Catholic Relief Services.

The devastation of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines late last year disrupted the familiarity of academic routine and uprooted families.  The quicker children can be put back in school and family livelihood can be restored, then vulnerability to human trafficking can be lessened.

Many realistic scenarios can contribute to the post disaster trafficking problem.  For instance, a family may make an impulsive decision such as selling a child or illegally crossing international borders when the financial and emotional stress following a disaster remains, despite the passage of time.  Additionally, scattered children can be wrongfully assumed to be orphans once immediate family tracing services fail to reunite children with such loved ones.  It does not help that a large amount of human displacement is a common occurrence following natural disasters.

Full account available at

https://www.devex.com/en/news/human-trafficking-to-pick-up-6-months-after-haiyan/82608

Palau Governor and two Filipino Nationals Charged with Human Trafficking

The state governor of Palau, Temmy Shmull, and two Filipino nationals are being charged for prostitution and money laundering schemes being held at the ATT Karaoke Bar and Disco located in Koror, Palau’s largest city.

The governor is being charged for solicitation of prostitution from the establishment, while ATT owner, Grace Bacongo, and sponsor Jeryl Blas, both Filipino nationals, are facing criminal charges that include trafficking, advancing prostitution, profiting from prostitution, exploitation of trafficked persons, money laundering, and unlawful wage obligation and employee restrictions.

Additionally, a local businessman and sponsor of the ATT Bar, Haruo Esang, is also being charged with a number of criminal violations.  The criminal acts are reported to have occurred a number of times.

Full account available at

http://www.islandsbusiness.com/news/palau/4129/palau-governor-charged-with-human-trafficking/